Recesses of the Heart
by hylianprincessZ
Summary: Hyrule is a frozen country. It is always cloudy, vagabonds are everywhere, and starvation and man-slaughter is common. I travel to try and help those around me, but it seems I've bitten off a little more than I can chew saving a strange girl from a massacre. Now, I have to decide just how far I'll go to protect a girl who isn't as innocent as she looks. AU Zelink
1. Chapter 1: Breath of Life

**Chapter 1: Breath of Life**

* * *

The tears fell down her face. I thought about how beautiful she was as I dove for her. I promised I would. She reached for me; her arms stretched out in longing, and said one thing,

"Let it be."

* * *

Wind whistled through the tall majestic pines, spraying a fine mist of snow in my vision. I lifted my muffler a little higher on my face as the cold nipped at my eyes and ears. Traveling in Faron woods in the middle of winter was not fun, but it was still twenty minutes to the closest town. I sighed and gently tugged at my horse Epona's reigns. She nickered softly, but otherwise did nothing. I couldn't ride her, not in the depth of snow we were traveling in. She'd break her leg.

The wind picked up speed, and the trees shook, spraying snow from their eaves. I could hear a faint whisper created by the wind, and an eerie feeling crept into my bones. It was terrifyingly quiet. To distract myself, I began to think of the warm food and coffee I would receive from Anju once I reached her inn.

Abruptly, there was bright flash of light, and I heard a ghastly scream, like a man's muscle was being torn from his very bone. Torture: red and bloody. I froze, unsure of what to do. Another scream and I ran, leaving Epona behind. I'd find her, I always did. I unsheathed my sword, and I saw it glint dully. I couldn't win with a sword like the one I had, but I had to try. People were dying.

The light, which had been constant and blinding, finally ceased. I squinted to allow my eyes to adjust, but otherwise kept running and leaping over logs and branches. The snow made it hard to move, and I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. More screams, how many people were there? And who was hurting them?

I rounded a tree and there I saw it. Red was mixed in the snow, creating a slush of blood and gore. My eyes widened at the carnage. There was just no way.

At least twenty people were scattered haphazardly in a circle, their bodies bent in unnatural directions. Many were missing limbs, and some were headless. Their eyes open and glazed. A man laid at my feet, his arm outstretched as if he had tried to crawl away from the massacre. Worst of all, they were all royal soldiers, loyal to the king. My insides churned and I could feel the bile rise in my throat. I gagged and forced myself to take deep breaths, trying to calm myself. I willed myself to scan the area again. There had to be someone still alive. Someone who was trying to hold on.

Then I saw her. In the middle of the small clearing, knelt a young woman draped in a heavy black cloak. How I missed her I wasn't sure, but she seemed to be the only one who survived the attack. Slowly, so as not to spook the woman, I moved towards her. She knelt, but her torso was bent back so that her head faced the sky. Her clothes were ripped, and it looked as though she was injured.

I heard sniffling and a low moan. She was crying.

"Hey," I said softly, "are you alright? What happened?"

She straightened quickly, and I could suddenly see her face. Her eyes, a startling electric blue, were wild and distraught. Her porcelain face, with high rosy cheekbones and red lips, was spattered with blood, and her auburn hair was a wreck. She eyed my sword, and I realized that I still held it in a fighting position. I raised my hand in a calming action and sheathed my sword, but she looked only slightly more at ease. I moved closer to her, with both my hands raised to show I meant her no harm.

A slight whisper reached my ears, "don't come closer."

I hesitated.

That had been a female voice, but the woman hadn't moved her mouth. I shook it off; I must've been hearing things.

I knelt beside the girl, and she flinched. Her eyes were even more intense now that I was closer to her, and her features were beautiful even though she was a mess. She was shivering, and her fingers were turning blue.

"Are you alright?" I asked gently. She didn't move, just stared at me. I heard a noise behind me and I turned to see Epona had made it to the clearing. I turned back to the girl and saw she had been cut by a sword on her forearm. She was bleeding profusely.

"You're hurt," I said, and ripped a piece of my sleeve off to make a bandage. The girl did nothing, finally seeming to submit to whatever darkness that had surrounded her the last few minutes. A soft moan left her lips and she fell forward, her head landing squarely on my chest.

"I'm sorry." Another whisper. It reminded me of the whisper of the trees in the wind.

I wrapped my cloak around the girl's shoulders gently and lifted her up princess style. I motioned with my head to Epona, and the gentle mare made her way over to me, avoiding the carnage that surrounded us as much as possible. I draped the girl on Epona's saddle and got on behind her. We'd have to ride the rest of the way. I needed to tell authorities about what happened and get the girl someplace warm. I rubbed Epona's neck apologetically, and she snorted in response. With a quick glance behind me, we plodded off through the snow.

Snowflakes began to fall, covering the blood soaked ground and creating a makeshift grave for the soldiers. My heart was heavy and confused as we continued on. The girl, although beautiful, was mysterious, and not in the good way. Why was she the only one alive in the clearing?

The muffled emptiness of the snow-covered forest surrounded us again, and without warning I felt them. They were hot and angry. It was only for a brief second, but it was enough. The eyes had come searching, but who their prey was I had no idea. Instinctively, I squeezed the girl tighter in my arms. Her face was peaceful, her tears dried. Once more, it was terrifyingly quiet.

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**So lately, I have been on a Florence and the Machine kick. Specifically, the song "Breath of Life." When I listened to that song for the first time, the idea for this story just kinda popped itself into my head. For awhile I just kind of held it in because I like to write only one story at a time, but then I realized that Codega's going to take a fairly long time to finish. So, I decided that if other writers can write more than one story at a time, than I can too. Although you must know what this'll do to my update time. It'll be fairly sporadic - for both stories. I'm actually still working on Codega's chapter right now, but I'm kinda stuck so we'll see how it goes. Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to tell me if you loved or hated this chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2: Touch of Heavenly Light

Chapter 2: Touch of Heavenly Light

We galloped through the snow, the tall trees blurring past. I knew it was risky, both for Epona and the woman, to go that fast, but it was risky to go slow as well. The _eyes_ had shown up again. They would find us eventually.

It would be only a few more minutes to Anju's Inn, but a lot can happen in a few minutes, a fact I knew from experience. So we galloped- our breaths' flying behind us in crystalline vapors. That was the only warmth I felt. It was pretty disgusting, honestly.

I heard them in the distance. Wolfos howls. I cursed inwardly and urged Epona to go faster. She nickered in response and I knew she couldn't, not in these snowdrifts.

Goddesses, I thought, don't let me die now, not here.

A streak of white flew past a tree to my right, then disappeared, followed by more streaks. Epona stopped abruptly, rearing back on her hind legs, whinnying in fright and almost throwing me and the woman. In front us, three dozen yellow eyes glared at us. White Wolfos.

I recalled a story my grandmother had told me before she passed, a story about when the sun still shone in Hyrule. In the story a hero had encountered a wolfos. The wolfos had been gray, with yellow eyes. Compared to the greenery that surrounded the hero and the wolfos, the wolfos hadn't blended in at all. Yet the wolfos could morph into shadows and move with incomparable speed. The hero had battled and defeated the creature. In return for winning the wolfos bestowed upon the hero a key that led to endless treasure. At the time, I thought battling a wolfos would've been the coolest thing.

Now, with the snow constantly covering Hyrule's landscape, the wolfos had adapted. Now their coats were white, and instead of blending in with shadows, they blended in with the snow. They became almost invisible, only betrayed by the incredible color of their eyes. They also had the same speed but less intelligence- they were no longer able to commune with humans. They were also almost impossible to beat, especially when they came in packs. There wasn't so much glory in facing them anymore. It was more like a death sentence.

I held tightly to the woman and Epona's reigns so that neither of us would be thrown off. My mind raced, fear making every muscle in my body jittery. I knew I wouldn't be able to stop them all. We'd all die.

Epona fell back to all fours, and moved backward skittishly. I thought for a moment. There was _one_ way I could save them. But that way terrified me to the bone. I would be left alone to face the pack. But it was the only way. I took a deep breath and unsheathed my sword, hopping off Epona at the same time. I rolled in front of her, letting a primal yell erupt from my core. The wolfos glared back at me, all of them roaring in response. I had to keep the wolfos' eyes on me and allow Epona a chance to escape. She would understand what I was doing.

A single set of eyes moved toward me, one was red one was yellow. That wolfos had to be the leader.

It growled, baring its yellow lethal fangs. It reeked of blood and death, and I suddenly felt the need to vomit. I was unable to move, my legs turned to jelly. Yet it didn't attack. Its eyes kept moving, glancing uncertainly Epona and then back to me. Like hell I would let it attack Epona. Breaking through my fear, I moved to block its path when a small moan met my ears.

I glanced back. The woman's eyes stirred, another moan escaping her lips. The rest of the wolfos pack whimpered, and when I looked back at them, I saw the yellow eyes skittering backwards, including the leaders'.

I was confused. They were scared of her? Why?

An idea suddenly struck me. I remounted Epona quickly, positioning myself behind the mystery woman again. Gently, I propped her head up, to make her seem awake. A gasp left her lips this time, and several of the eyes took off running. Now only a few wolfos were left, including the leader. I figured I could beat them, but only at great costs to my health and only if Epona and the woman out of the picture. So I had to scare a few more off. No big deal.

I dug my heels slightly into Epona's sides to urge her forward, which she did grudgingly. The wolfos backed up, but still gave no intention of leaving like their other brethren. The woman moved again, adjusting herself so that she lay comfortably against my chest. That did the trick. The wolfos took off running, yelping as if they were in pain, leaving their leader alone. The eyes disappeared, as if the leader was looking behind him. I could tell it was confused about why its entire pack had suddenly abandoned it. It looked back at me, its eyes suddenly angry, and both of them red. Yet it didn't attack, it glared at me for a few more moments before it padded away after its pack.

A sinking feeling settled in me, one that told me that if I had fought against that wolfos, I would've lost.

Yet we were safe now. I let out a breath I didn't know I had held. I looked down at the woman, who had fallen back to sleep, her still hooded head resting lightly on my chest. Somehow, she had saved our lives. I grinned stupidly to myself and urged Epona forward, but slowly now that the threat was gone.

Ten minutes later, we arrived at the gates of Anju's inn. A tall stone wall surrounded it, with an iron gate in the middle. A weathered sign was posted on the one side reading _The Stock Pot Inn_. It swayed slightly in the wind, and the black gates clattered together. Epona's hooves clattered softly on the wooden road that led to the gates, already partly covered in snow that still insisted on falling.

A woman's figure stood in front of the gate, bundled tightly in every imaginable article of cold weather clothing. Gripped tightly in her mittens was a broom, she must've been sweeping the snow off the road. She paused when she saw me, and cautiously raised her hand in greeting. I smiled as Anju called to me.

"You made it back in one piece!" she said happily. I winked at her and dismounted. I took the woman off the horse and Anju's eyes widened.

"What happened…?" she asked, but I could only shrug.

"I found her in a clearing." I started to tell her the whole story, but then Epona nickered and stomped her hooves impatiently.

"Why don't we go inside," Anju said, smiling, "I'll get her set up in my room, Link. You take Epona to the stables."

I gently gave the woman to Anju to carry and then I took Epona's reigns. Together, we went inside the gates. A large, desolate, courtyard met us, with dead bushes placed randomly about. Anju had once told me that when she was just a baby the courtyard had been a flush with all the colors of the rainbow, and insects and birds of all shapes and sizes called the garden their home. People from all over had come to the inn, owned by her mother at the time, just to see their beautiful garden, now people barely came at all. People were too afraid to travel much nowadays, what with the freezing conditions and wolfos infestation all across Hyrule.

I veered to the left with Epona, heading towards the stables while Anju walked to the front door. I was surprised she was able to hold the woman's weight so well. It must've been the difficult work of running an inn. It was just her and her husband, Kafei, after all.

The stable wasn't much warmer than outside, but it was dry and out of the wind. Clean hay was strewn in the four stalls, and several candles were lit to keep the room bright. There was only one other horse in the stables, Anju's mare Sunbeam. I always wondered why Anju named her that. Maybe it was a silent wish for the sun? That was something everyone wished for, but it never seemed to do any good. It had been missing for about thirty years now. Sadly, that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

I quickly dried Epona off and removed her gear. I brushed her, and she nickered appreciatively. The two of us had been through a lot. I had bought her five years before, and since then I took her with me on all my travels around Hyrule. No other horse could compare.

I finished brushing her and went to grab one of the wool blankets that Anju kept clean for the horses. I draped it on Epona's back so she could stay warm through the night. I stroked her head and gazed into her chocolate eyes.

"Thanks for staying with me back there girl," I murmured and touched my forehead to hers. She snorted, and I chuckled, rubbing her neck. Then, I left and headed into the inn.

Heavenly warmth met me. I could feel my bones slowly start to loosen and then melt and my fingers to unclench. Amazingly, I had been out in the snow for a little over two days, it was about time I sat in front of a fire and relaxed. Yet I knew I couldn't- I still had to make sure Anju or Kafei didn't need help, and that the woman was okay. She might even need a doctor, which meant back out into the snow for me.

I sighed and walked past the reception desk and passed the staircase next to it. I turned left and walked down the hallway and made my way to the kitchen. Kafei, the one who did all the cooking at the Stock Pot, wasn't there, but a large pot of thin clear soup bubbled over a cheery fire. It smelled delicious, but then again, I had been running on bland, foul-smelling potions for last two days. They were made completely of animal remains and didn't taste great, but they kept me going and didn't need to be heated. The latter was important because that mean I didn't need to stop and start a fire and attract wolfos attention.

Leaving the kitchen, I then went up the stairs to Anju's room. As I reached the top of the staircase, a long hallway stretched to my left, lined with doorways. They were the suites- most were empty except for a few of the permanent residents that stayed in Faron. There were two- a young woman named Ilia, and a middle-aged man named Rusl. At the moment they were probably out back chopping wood for the fires. Since it was almost impossible to get a job nowadays, especially in a mostly deserted area like Faron, Anju had them do chores around the inn to make rent. Although I highly doubted Anju would turn them out even if they didn't. She was too kind to possibly send someone to their death.

I knocked on Anju and Kafei's door. It was the first one in the row of doors in front of me. I heard soft padding of feet coming towards the door and then Anju opened it. Finally out of her cold weather clothing, I could see her features once again. She was a petite middle-aged woman with reddish-brown shoulder length hair, hazel eyes, and a fair complexion. She wore a royal blue skirt with a gold design and a mahogany vest with a white wool undershirt. She smiled at me and gestured for me to enter.

It was a small room compared to some of the other suites, but I knew Anju really didn't mind and neither did Kafei. There were two beds in the room, one that Anju and Kafei shared, and Anju's mother's bed. Her mother had passed about five years ago, but Anju never had the heart to get rid of her bed. In between the beds a large armoire. There was also a curtain decorated with suns and flowers stretched around the second bed, separating it from the rest of the room.

"She's still asleep, but more peacefully this time, "said Anju who pointed at the second bed, "she should be fine, but it's a good thing you found her. She's in severe shock. What happened?"

We sat down on the empty bed and I told Anju everything. She took it well, even when I described the carnage that had surrounded the woman when I found her. Anju was a gentle creature who hated violence, but even she was no stranger to death. After I was finished, Anju remained silent for a few minutes, thinking.

"What made you save her, Link?" she asked.

I shrugged, "everyone else was brutally murdered. She was the only one left- the only one alive. It was the right thing to do."

Anju tilted her head thoughtfully, an unspoken pain in her eyes, "but didn't you ever think that maybe… _she_ was the cause of the carnage?"

I stared confusedly at her. The idea had never once dawned on me, but now I felt like kicking myself. Anyone else would've seen the signs- would've understood the situation. But of course _I_ hadn't. I had only accomplished endangering every living thing at the inn. I was at a loss for words.

The pain left Anju's eyes and she quickly spoke again to correct herself and to console me, "ah, but that's only speculation. You said she was crying, yes? And she apologized when you picked her up? Well that has to mean something, right? Ruthless murderers don't apologize for their crimes, so there is no way she could've killed those people."

I nodded slowly, still unconvinced. I was grateful to Anju for trying to cheer me up, but I could tell it was forced. She was worried too.

I cleared my throat, "then I should just keep watch over her just in case."

Anju nodded enthusiastically, "good idea. You and Rusl could have shifts, and once she wakes we'll have our answers," she stood, brushing off her skirts, "I'll go call them in from the snow and fill them in. You rest here, and later I'll bring some soup and extra blankets up. Then tomorrow we can go to the authorities."

I smiled, "alright, thanks Anju."

She smiled and left the room, shutting the door behind her softly. Once she was gone, I stood and made my way over to the second bed. I drew the curtain back and looked at the woman. She was sleeping peacefully, her breaths coming out in soft, even puffs. Her dark lashes curled and moved slightly, her eyes watching whatever dream that surrounded her at that moment. Her hair- which was actually black, not auburn now that I got a good look at it- was splayed across the pillow, and her lips were parted slightly. She looked so vulnerable- so harmless. I had to be mistaken, there was no way she had killed all those men. It was physically impossible- it had to be.

I noticed her arms. Dark grey tattoos snaked up them, displaying several religious icons, including the icons of the seven sages. More importantly, however, I noticed that on her left hand was a tattoo of a large triangle with smaller triangles in it. The Triforce- the symbol of all the power in Hyrule. I hadn't seen that icon in a really long time, and it confused me as to why it was displayed so proudly on her hand- her left one too. It was like she was screaming heresy against the king, the one who told the country that the Triforce had left them. That's why the sun was gone. I believed it, I couldn't explain why, but I deep down I knew the king wasn't lying. The Triforce was no longer in Hyrule, and there was no bringing it back.

The woman shifted slightly in her sleep, and I almost smiled before I heard the voice from before mumble a phrase that chilled my bones even worse than the snow and ice outside. The irony in how peaceful the woman looked below, but how evil the voice spoke, made my legs shake and teeth chatter.

She had said, "I will set the world ablaze."

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**Thanks for reading chapter two of _Recesses of the Heart_! **

**Oh, what will happen next? Will the woman kill them all?**

**Will she pay for the crimes she committed? Did she even commit one?**

**Leave your thoughts on these questions in your review, and then find out**

**the answers in chapter 3, coming soon!**


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